


Linger

by meanderingsoul



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Hugs, Missing Scene, Season/Series 05, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meanderingsoul/pseuds/meanderingsoul
Summary: The tiny snort before she smiled was worth the stupid comment. You had to sneak up on May’s laughter sometimes. Phil had used to be more in-practice at it.
Relationships: Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 14
Kudos: 72





	Linger

“Now, do you wanna help me get into this gear Fitz has for me? It’s super sexy.”

The tiny snort before she smiled was worth the stupid comment. You had to sneak up on May’s laughter sometimes. He’d used to be more in-practice at it.

They lingered in silence for a moment, but it wasn’t so heavy now. And it would take that long to find the energy to stand up. May stood when he stood, making sure he couldn’t give her his arm to help. He didn’t miss she hadn’t used her left leg to stand.

Phil still let his hand rest lightly on her back for a moment when they turned. There was no one around to see.

This base was so quiet compared to the ones they knew.

*

The gear... really wasn’t much. Some sort of gas mask. Heavy gloves. A basic utility belt. They had limited resources right now. The device was really the important part.

He already had boots on, so technically he’d done missions worse off than he already was anyway.

“You don’t need my help with any of this,” May said, but she didn’t glower.

“Maybe I just wanted your company.”

The look on May’s face hit him strange, a chill on his face. Not like she didn’t believe him, they knew each other better than that, but almost like she thought it was a weird thing to say.

Phil nudged her with his shoulder. “I’ve always liked your company.”

May picked up on of the gloves and he held out his arms. It was unnecessary for her to stand almost between them, to tug the glove over his hand and wait for a nod that the strap around his wrist wasn’t too tight with her palm resting on his arm. Phil didn’t need to thumb over her wrist when she turned for the other glove, or squeeze her shoulder when she was done.

She picked up the belt and he reached out for the other end, but May ignored him, stepped close with her shoulder to his chest and reached around his waist instead. Phil breathed shallow, tried not to move, tried to ignore how his hands were stuck hovering near her hips. May wasn’t slow about it, didn’t do anything to tease him really, but when she looked up and their eyes met they both kind of...froze.

The air in the room was tense but it wasn’t anger. Phil cleared his throat, turned away to fix his shirt around the belt.

May was holding the mask out in front of her in one hand with a faintly disgusted expression. “This is really the best we can do now?”

The resources they’d had access to so often in their careers were a pipe dream. “There’s no real reason to think anything’s wrong with the actual air in that room. It’s good enough. Give it here Hamlet.”

She set it down with a clunk instead. Things only made noise when May wanted them too.

“Hey May,” but she wouldn’t look at him now.

“May,” he said softer, leaning down closer to her face, enough he might have felt her breath. When she looked at him...

He wasn’t sure who leaned first, but they both moved and he stepped into her space and pulled her close the same time she reached out to wrap an arm over his shoulders.

Phil went on instinct instead of habit. His arm slid lower on her back and tightened until he could feel her breathing against him. His other hand slid up between her shoulders until he should have been able to touch the ends of her hair. So often these last couple weeks all he’d wanted to do was hold her like this.

Her arm slung up over his shoulder was familiar, her hand clinging around the heavy collar of his jacket not so much. Her knuckles brushed against his throat. Phil let his face press in against the crook of her neck, breathed her in. It was familiar enough, but like this it was almost like he could _taste_ her.

May made a little humming sound. He felt it against his ear as much as he heard it. Her chin dug in against his shoulder. Her other hand flexed tight around his arm.

“Let me go down there.”

She wasn’t going to say please this time, but he still heard it. May would always rather take the hit than be forced to watch. But he was already several years past the end of his original lifespan. The rest of them had time, room to start over, to survive all this. He wasn’t going down there to die, just to make sure they had that chance.

“No. This is the smarter play right now.”

The tension in her body didn’t change. She hadn’t really expected to convince him to change his mind. It was still several moments before he felt her nod. Phil went ahead and moved his hand up carefully to cradle her skull. 

“Besides, you know what I’m actually capable of in the field better than anyone else here,” he teased in a lighter tone, risked swaying them a little bit.

May snorted. It almost itched across his scalp. Her other arm slid up over his shoulders, her chest pressed warm against his and her weight heavier in his arms.

“Which means I also remember when you were _useless_.”

Phil turned and smiled against her head, soft warm hair caught against his nose. “So it took us a while to find our feet. We got there.” _We’ll get there_.

When she leaned back so they could see each other her arms stayed looped up around him and his slid down to her hips. Phil felt her hand shift on the back of his neck, felt her nails scrape lightly across his hair. His eyes closed halfway despite himself but he managed not to shiver. 

May traced the shell of his ear with a fingertip. _Then_ he shivered.

That crooked, victorious little smile creeping over her face had always been one of his favorites.

“Speak for yourself.”

**Author's Note:**

> During the aos fandom-wide rewatch I realized I just had to take a crack at writing that implied scene of May helping Coulson put on his oh so complicated gloves and belt. He seemed in pretty good spirits when he met back up with Fitz, so my brain came up with this.


End file.
